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Longines Master 40mm Mens Watch
Ref. L27934792
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Master Collection has its roots in the dress-watch tradition Longines built through much of the twentieth century — a line designed to carry the brand's formal sensibility into modern proportions without sacrificing the restraint that made it work. The ivory dial with painted Roman numerals and polished blued-steel hands is a deliberate reference to mid-century pocket-watch aesthetics, the kind of thing that reads as considered rather than costumed. At 9.35mm thick and 46.80mm lug to lug, it disappears under a dress-shirt cuff in a way that few 40mm watches manage. The weight — 69.4g on the alligator strap — keeps it present on the wrist without pulling. The L888.5 beneath the exhibition caseback is built around a silicon hairspring, which gives it the magnetic resistance a modern environment demands without requiring a rotor the size of a small engine; the 72-hour reserve means a weekend off the wrist costs nothing on Monday morning.
- Reference
- L27934792
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Master
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 9.35mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA A31.L11
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 46.80mm
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
Learn more about Longines
Auguste Agassiz began trading watches in Saint-Imier in 1832, but the modern company dates from 1860, when his nephew Ernest Francillon built a factory in the meadows beside the Suze — the longines of the local dialect — and consolidated the scattered outworkers of the region under one roof.
Longines registered its winged hourglass in 1889. It is the oldest watch trademark still in continuous use.
The company's identity was built on precision and on timing things in public. It supplied chronographs for the first modern Olympic events it timed in 1896, timed the 1912 Federal Gymnastics Festival with a broken-wire mechanism accurate to a hundredth of a second, and developed the photo-finish camera and the quartz timing devices used across twentieth-century athletics.
Its aviation associations are equally deep. Longines instruments were carried by Charles Lindbergh across the Atlantic in 1927, and the Hour Angle watch, designed to Lindbergh's own specification to simplify longitude calculation, remains in the catalogue. Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes both navigated by Longines.
The house was among the most decorated at nineteenth-century observatory trials, holding numerous precision records. Since joining the Swatch Group in 1983 it has occupied the accessible-heritage position: exclusive ETA-based movements, archive-driven designs through the Heritage line, and volume that makes it one of the group's most important brands.
- 1860
- Ernest Francillon builds the factory at Les Longines.
- 1889
- The winged hourglass is registered — the oldest watch trademark in use.
- 1912
- Broken-wire timing achieves hundredth-second accuracy.
- 1927
- Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic with Longines instruments.
- 1983
- Becomes part of the Swatch Group.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (3,734), Stainless Steel Watches (2,581), Automatic Watches (1,570), Leather Strap Watches (860), Silver Dial Watches (576) and Dress Watches (475).
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What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- 46.8mm lug-to-lug keeps the 40mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Longines Master alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L27934792 | YA126390 | 01 754 7741 3167-07 5 20 58BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,100 | £2,130 | £2,050 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | — | 38 hours |
| This watch |
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Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
21mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 46.80mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £2,100, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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